Indulgences were promises sold by the church in the form of certificates for a full or partial release from the temporary punishment for absolved sins—whether in this life or in purgatory. Though Prince Frederick III the Wise had forbidden the sale of indulgences in Wittenberg, many of the devout were travelling great distances to purchase them. To Luther’s great frustration and sorrow, many of his congregants were presenting their indulgences to him claiming they no longer had to repent of their sins.

Luther wrote his 95 Theses with the intention of inviting scholars into a discussion on indulgences. The subtitle of his theses read, “Out of love and zeal for truth and the desire to bring it to light, the following theses will be publicly discussed at Wittenberg under the chairmanship of the reverend father Martin Lutther, Master of Arts and Sacred Theology and regularly appointed Lecturer on these subjects at that place. He requests that those who cannot be present to debate orally with us will do so by letter. In the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.”

These theses were nailed to the door of Castle Church facing Wittenberg’s main thoroughfare. Operating as a bulletin board of sorts, the door of Castle Church was a fairly common place to post important notices. With this posting, Luther also sent out a few handwritten comments to select clergy. It was scarcely two weeks before copies made their way throughout Germany—and they spread throughout Europe in less than two months!

Just as the largest flames are started from the smallest of sparks, the dissemination of these theses is known as the catalyst for the Protestant Reformation. Many churches and communities throughout the world celebrate October 31 as Reformation Day.

Check Out Logos’ Reformation Resources

In recognition of Reformation Day, Logos is offering a guide of featured books and collections relating to the Protestant Reformation.

The Reformation Product Guide offers something for anyone who wishes to study the Reformation, including dozens of collections and books by some of the most renowned Reformed theologians as well as detailed histories and biographies about the Reformation and its leaders. Don’t miss out on these great works!

Today’s post is from Morris Proctor, certified and authorized trainer for Logos Bible Software. Morris has trained thousands of Logos users at his two-day Camp Logos training seminars and provides many training materials.

One of the most powerful, yet underused, features in Logos Bible Software is the Louw-Nida (LN) Numbers that appear in English Bibles with the reverse interlinear option. They’re vitally important because they disambiguate the meaning of a word. In other words, an LN number indicates a word’s precise meaning in a specific context.

For example, in Matthew 17:5 the Lord admonishes people to “listen” to His beloved son. When we look up the meaning of the Greek word (akouo) translated listen we discover it could mean “hear,” “listen,” “pay attention to”, “obey”, etc. Which definition is correct for Matthew 17:5?

Johannes Louw and Eugene Nida, the authors of the LN numbers, point to what they believe to be the correct contextual definition of a word. Here’s one simple way to use these numbers:

Open an English Bible with the reverse interlinear option such as the ESV

Navigate to a verse such as Matthew 17:5

Click the Interlinear icon on the Bible’s toolbar to display the reverse interlinear pane at the bottom of the Bible

Click a word in the Bible such as “listen” to move the interlinear pane to that word

Notice a LN number for each word appears in the interlinear pane

Click LN 36.14, which is the LN number for “listen”

The Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains opens to an article containing a complete definition for akouo in the context of Matthew 17:5! You don’t have to select from 10 possible meanings. Drs. Louw and Nida disambiguate the meaning for you.

The extended training on the LN Numbers is one of the favorite sessions in Camp Logos 2. We’ve taken that session and expanded it on our Camp Logos 2 LIVE DVD-ROM, which is currently available on pre-pub. Here’s a sneak peak at the video training that corresponds to the above instructions for the LN numbers.

How has studying the original languages helped your Bible study? Leave a comment and let us know!

The Weekly Roundup is a regular feature alerting you to significant things happening at Logos this week. Take a few moments to check out these newsworthy items for the week of October 29, 2011.

Pastor Appreciation Deals End Friday, November 4!

Throughout the month of October we have been telling you all about our daily Pastor Appreciation Month specials! Pastor Appreciation Month is drawing to a close, and sadly, so are these special deals. But don’t worry! It’s not too late to take advantage of these low prices on great pastoral resources. These bargains are available until Friday, November 4! You must act fast though—you don’t want to miss out on these savings.

Interesting Discussions

On Wednesday, our Facebook community discussed their favorite Psalms. It isn’t too late to add to this discussion!

Twitter Daily Deals

Our Twitter followers have been enjoying some amazing Twitter-only daily deals. Each day we offer a new product at 50% off, but the daily deal expires at midnight PST. This past week we marked down the following:

We have been celebrating Pastor Appreciation Month with incredible deals from Logos.com! For every week in October we picked a different theme: leadership, worship, pastoral care, and preaching. For each of these themes, we handpicked five specials which would benefit any pastor’s library.

Today we have revealed the last of these incredible deals! But don’t worry, you will have until Friday, November 4, to take advantage of these special savings. You must act fast though—once these sales are gone, they’re gone!

Don’t Miss Out on These Deals!

J. A. Broadus Preaching Collection (3 vols.): This collection is a “must-have” for anyone with an interest in homiletics. This three-volume collection includes A Treatise on the Preparation and Delivery of Sermons, Lectures on the History of Preaching, and Sermons and Addresses. At the low sale price of $10, this collection is a strong addition to any speaker’s library.

The Complete Library of Christian Worship (7 vols.): Dr. Robert E. Webber has created the most comprehensive worship resource available. These seven volumes represent all aspects of biblical worship from biblical origins to contemporary use. It features materials from thousands of books and other resources on the subject of worship and original articles from over 600 scholars and church leaders, including representatives from every Christian denomination as well as many seminaries and institutions of higher learning. You can save 40% off of this collection by purchasing it today!

Preaching & Leadership Bundle (40 vols.): Here are forty volumes of preaching and leadership books by thirty-four different authors for only $269.95—55% off the retail price! With names like Olford, Ryrie, and Spurgeon you know you are getting timeless truths at an exceptional value.

Christian Counseling: A Comprehensive Guide: This superb guide has become a classic in pastoral counseling. Written with clarity and sensitivity, Christian Counseling: A Comprehensive Guide has been extensively expanded to include recent developments and research, new resources, and attention to newly urgent needs. Anyone who does any regular counseling can benefit from downloading this book at 49% off of the retail price.

Get Spurgeon’s The Pastor in Prayer for Free!

This 175-page book reveals the prayers of a spiritual leader in deep communion with God. The Pastor in Prayer contains an extensive collection of Spurgeon’s prayers—some written, but many extemporaneous. Through pleading intercession and devout confession, Spurgeon’s prayers help readers understand the value of intimate prayer.

Pastor Appreciation Deals End Soon!

Check out the rest of our Pastor Appreciation Month specials and take advantage of our deep discounts on some helpful pastoral resources. Hurry! These discounts end November 4!

Today we are announcing a new partnership with Augsburg Fortress and Concordia to make the 55-volume set of Luther’s Works available for download. This collection had been available in Libronix via CD-ROM for several years, and we’ve received several requests to offer it as a download. Now, we’re thrilled to announce it’s finally a reality.

Even better, for just a few weeks, you can take advantage of special introductory pricing. Normally, this collection retails for $259, but for a limited time, you can get Luther’s Works for only $229. You’ll need to act fast—this price is going up in November!

About Martin Luther

No other person is more closely identified with the Protestant Reformation than Martin Luther. By nailing the 95 Theses to the Wittenberg door, he began a process of renewal which resulted in a profound shift in faith, politics, and society. He has been both praised and vilified, and he continues to influence Christians of all traditions and animate the movement that bears his name.

This collection is the authoritative edition of Luther’s Works. The first half of the set contains Luther’s exposition of Scripture, and the second half contains his letters, sermons, theological treatises, and various other writings. As Jaroslav Pelikan and Helmut Lehmann have written:

[Luther] can provide his reader with bits of autobiography or with political observations as he expounds a psalm, and he can speak tenderly about the meaning of faith in the midst of polemics against his opponents. It is the hope of publishers, editors, and translators that throughout this edition the message of Luther’s faith will speak more clearly to the modern church.

If you’ve been waiting for the download of Luther’s Works, then this is the perfect time to add it to your library—just in time for Reformation Day. But remember, the introductory pricing is going up next month, so download it today!

The Gospel of John: A Commentary, by Frederick Dale Bruner, weaves together commentary from church giants like Luther, Calvin, and Augustine—then provides insight and application useful for today’s reader.

In The Letter to the Galatians, editor and translator Ian Christopher Levy gathered six medieval commentaries on Galatians that were previously not available in English, translated them, and added comprehensive introductions.

Join these New Testament scholars on their journey of research and reflection on Romans, John, and Galatians by adding the Eerdman’s New Testament Commentary Collection to your Logos library. Be sure to check out this collection while it’s on Pre-Pub for $99.95—that’s over 50% off the retail price!

Is there a better way to start the day than with an encouraging devotional? A devotional serves as a reminder to get into the Word daily and guides us to dig deeper into Scripture.

Daily Treasures from the Word of God, on Pre-Pub now for just $12.95, provides daily readings that will take you through every book of the Bible. By the end of the year, you will have read the Old Testament through once and both the New Testament and Psalms twice.

Entries in Daily Treasures from the Word of God address a variety of topics drawn straight from Scripture. You’ll also find practical outlines which work great for personal or group Bible studies and sermon preparation.

In the game of baseball, this saying surfaces every postseason—and rightfully so. For teams playing in October, it means they’re in the postseason and that the 162 regular season games they’ve played over the preceding six months have now put them in contention to be World Series Champions.

Tonight is Game 6 of the 2011 World Series. The American League Texas Rangers have a one-game lead over the National League St. Louis Cardinals, and could clinch the title with a win tonight.

Whether or not you’re following the World Series—or baseball in general—you may have heard about one of the most historic nights in MLB history that happened over the weekend.

On Saturday, October 22, 2011, Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals became only the third player in MLB history to hit three home runs in a single World Series game. The other two? Babe Ruth (twice: 1926 and 1928), and "Mr. October" himself, Reggie Jackson (1977).

Needless to say, Pujols is now in some pretty phenomenal company. But for Pujols, there is more to life than baseball.

More Than the Game

For a man who has now solidified his spot in Cooperstown, eventually to be immortalized in baseball’s Hall of Fame, one thing remains clear—baseball is only a means to an end:

God has given me the ability to succeed in the game of baseball. But baseball is not the end; baseball is the means by which my wife, Dee Dee, and I glorify God. Baseball is simply my platform to elevate Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior.

After his unbelievable night, Puljos’ game-worn jersey, along with his bat and batting gloves, were quickly authenticated by Major League Baseball to be preserved and admired for generations to come.

As Puljos was giving his post-game interview, it seemed as if the last thing he wanted to talk about was himself—or his performance. Rather, he talked about being blessed to be in the situation and thanked God he was able to contribute to his team’s push for a World Series Championship title.

On and off the field, Pujols remains humble and selfless. Even in the opening sentence on The Pujols Family Foundation website, which he started with his wife, it states that the foundation "exists to honor God and strengthen families through our works, deeds and examples."

Offer Ends with the World Series

As we mentioned, the World Series could end tonight, but with a Cardinals win, there could be a Game 7 on Thursday. Either way, get Pujols: More Than the Gamenow—discounted 80% for the remainder of the World Series!

That means you pay only $4.99!

Take advantage of this deal before this year’s World Series comes to an end!

Do you already have a favorite 2011 World Series highlight? Will Puljos’ three home runs be a story you share for years to come? Did you see Reggie Jackson’s home runs in 1977?

Logos Talk’s Recommended Commentary Series highlights some favorite commentaries by Logos academics and the user community.

We Want to Hear from You!

Each week we will post a forum thread asking which commentaries, available from Logos, are your favorites for a specific book in the Bible. This is a great opportunity to let other Logos users know which commentaries you have found valuable in your studies.

Mark Commentaries

We asked Logos Educational Designer Johnny Cisneros to give us his favorite commentaries on Mark. Here are a few of his choices in no particular order:

New Testament

Today’s post is from Morris Proctor, certified and authorized trainer for Logos Bible Software. Morris has trained thousands of Logos users at his two-day Camp Logos training seminars and provides many training materials.

If you’ve been to Camp Logos before you know I’m a big fan of the right click menu which houses shortcuts to numerous Logos features. Here’s one of my favorites.

Let’s say you’ve previously created a Theology Books search collection. You’re now studying John 1:3 in your favorite Bible and you want to discover where this verse is mentioned only in this collection of theological resources. Try this:

Right click on any word in John 1:3 of your open Bible

Select Reference John 1:3

Select Search entire library (You can’t designate a specific collection on the right click menu, but since searching is so fast it’s OK to search the entire library.)

Select a specific collection from the drop down range list on the Search panel (In other words change Entire Library to a collection like Theology Books.)

Notice the search displays the location of where your exact reference is mentioned such as John 1:3, Jn1.3, verse 3, etc.

To transform this exact search into an intersection:

Change the equals sign ( = ) in the search query to the tilde ( ~ )

Press the Enter key to generate the search

Now notice you’re getting hits such as John 1:1-5, Jn 1.2-6, etc. As long as John 1:3 intersects with the reference in the book, Logos finds it!

This specific search is but one of many powerful Logos features we cover in Camp Logos 2.

And some exciting news is that you have a couple of upcoming opportunities to participate in Camp Logos 2.

First, we are having our first National Camp Logos 2 on November 10-11 in Bellingham, WA. This is our first National Camp 2 covering Logos 4. In addition to the beautiful scenery, you’ll have two full days of learning how to customize your Logos, as well as catered meals and a tour of the new Logos Headquarters! Register and learn more details about National Camp 2 here.

Also, if you haven’t heard yet, we now have Camp Logos 2 LIVE on DVD-ROM available to pre-order. These DVDs contain in-depth content on how to take the next step with your Logos Bible Software, but it also features arrows, highlights, or callouts for every instruction that I give. There are also many graphics spread throughout the training to call attention to important concepts. If you enjoyed Camp Logos LIVE, I guarantee that you’ll also enjoy Camp 2 LIVE.

And remember, there is both a PC and a Mac version that is tailored to the corresponding version of Logos. Pre-order your copy today!

What right click menu shortcut have you found the most helpful? Leave us a comment and let us know.